You are here

Article Text

Article menu
Download PDFPDF
Abstracts from the 4th International Conference on Concussion in Sport (Zurich, 2012)
Acute Sports Concussion
What factors increase the risk of concussion in elite youth ice hockey players?
  1. Tracy A Blake1,*,
  2. Jian Kang1,
  3. Willem H Meeuwisse1,2,
  4. Nicole Lemke3,
  5. Kathryn J Schneider1,
  6. Kirsten A Taylor1,4,
  7. Carolyn A Emery1,5,6
  1. 1Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre, Faculty of Kinesiology University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
  2. 2University of Calgary Sport Medicine Centre, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta
  3. 3Glen Sather Sport Medicine Clinic, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
  4. 4Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta
  5. 5Pediatrics, Alberta Children's Hospital research Institute for Child and Maternal Health Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
  6. 6Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

    Abstract

    Objective To examine the risk of concussion amongst elite youth male and female ice hockey players.

    Design Prospective cohort study.

    Setting Community ice rinks and sport medicine clinics.

    Participants 764 Bantam (12–14 years) and Midget (15–17 years) ice hockey players. Assessment of Risk Factors: 743 players completed baseline SCAT2 testing (2011/2012 season). Age group, sex, previous concussion history, Total Symptoms Score (TSS), Balance Error Score (BES), Standardised Assessment of Concussion (SAC) Score and SCAT2 Total Score at baseline were evaluated as potential risk factors. Higher scores indicate greater impairment or symptoms.

    Main Outcome Measurements Players with a suspected concussion were assessed by a team therapist and referred to a sport medicine physician.

    Results Multivariate Poisson Regression analyses, adjusted for cluster by team, were used to estimate concussion risk ratios (RR). The RR for Bantam players with previous concussion history was 1.15 (95% CI 0.69 to 1.90) and for Midget players with previous concussion history was 2.83 (95% CI 1.69 to 4.72) compared to players in the same age group with no previous concussion history. The RR for players with baseline TSS and SCAT2 Total Score in the lowest 25%ile were 1.54 (95% CI 1.07 to 2.20) and 1.40 (95% CI 1.03 to 1.90), respectively, compared to those in the upper 75%ile. Sex, BES and SAC score were not predictive of concussion.

    Conclusions There is a greater risk of concussion in elite ice hockey players 15–17 years old with a previous history of concussion. Baseline TSS and SCAT2 Total Score in the lowest 25%ile are also predictive of concussion.

    Acknowledgements The University of Calgary Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre is one of the International Research Centres for Prevention of Injury and Protection of Athlete Health supported by the International Olympic Committee. We also acknowledge the support of Alberta Innovates Health Solutions, the Alberta Children's Hospital Institute for Child and Maternal Health (Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation) and Talisman Energy for their generous support.

    https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2012-092101.19

    Statistics from Altmetric.com

      Request Permissions

      If you wish to reuse any or all of this article please use the link below which will take you to the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service. You will be able to get a quick price and instant permission to reuse the content in many different ways.